Beware of Black Holes

A few weeks ago, I participated in a Star Achievement class where we discussed the different varieties of stars in the universe: pulsating stars, twin stars, and exploding stars. During the small group discussion, I couldn’t help but think about another type of star, the black hole.

In simple terms, a black hole is a star that is collapsing in on itself. Around this region of space is a boundary or “point of no return,” the point at which the gravitational pull becomes so great that nothing can escape, not even light.

Have you encountered someone who is a “black hole” in your personal or professional life? If you get too close, they start pulling you into their negative sphere. And once you’re there, it can take a tremendous amount of effort to extricate yourself.

Star performers know that we have to employ healthy boundaries to keep ourselves from being sucked into pessimism and darkness. As Joan often says, attitude is a choice. We can choose to deal tactfully with the black holes in our lives to keep our attitudes positive, or we can choose to allow them to suck us into negativity. Attitude is a choice. Choose well.

Karla Weaver is a technical writer and editor at Sandia National Laboratories and has 17 years of experience in the administrative profession.